Thousands of Evacuees Displaced in Camp Fire Housing Crisis

Tens of thousands of people displaced by the deadly Camp Fire are now wondering where to go.

Posted: Nov. 27, 2018 3:16 PM

Posted By: Stephanie Schmieding

BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. - Tens of thousands of people displaced by the deadly Camp Fire are now wondering where to go.

While organizations like FEMA are working hard to find housing for all those displaced, there are still questions about when the crisis will be resolved.

There are currently 80 FEMA trailers at the McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento ready for use for evacuees, but officials are still trying to determine where to put them.

Some evacuees are frustrated, saying that they are not getting the help they need.

"We have literally spent every dime we have just trying to make it," said Monique Gurule, a Camp Fire evacuee.

It's been two weeks since Gurule and her husband fled from their house in Paradise. Now, they are looking for a place to live.

"We went to FEMA twice and asked them to help us and they denied us both times because we had insurance," she said. "We didn't want money from them, we just want a temporary place to live because we have no place to go."

The Gurules have rented a trailer for now, parked in a lot of a casino. Many others are still in shelters, tents and motels.

"The assistance that people are getting is putting them well outside of Butte County," said Michael Zuccolillo of the Paradise City Council.

Zuccolillo is worried that with no clear plan for housing the thousands of evacuees, that his community may never be together again.

"The longer and farther we keep people away, the less likely they are to come back," he said.

Jovanna Garcia, a representative for FEMA, spoke about the plan to get the 80 trailers to a place where evacuees can use them.

"We have the site, we're working on the logistics part of it," she said. "We want to make sure its a mobile area for them, where they can go to the centers, schools, electricity's up and running, sewer's up and running."